Biography

Grace Gori, mezzo-soprano has been praised by The Washington Post for her "fine sense of style" and "strong dramatic impact", and is known as an acclaimed performer in both the concert and operatic repertoire. Her opera credits include the Third Madrigale in Puccini's Manon Lescaut with the Washington National Opera, Carmen with the Eldbrooke Artists Series, Cherubino in Annapolis Opera's The Marriage of Figaro, Tessa in The Gondoliers with the Washington Savoyards, and numerous credits including Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte goes Hollywood and Elvira in Don Giovanni of Long Island with the In Series during their annual Mozart festivals.

Ms. Gori's concert credits include guest appearances with the North York Symphony of Toronto, Canada, the Millbrook Orchestra of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and the Amherst (New York) Symphony. She has placed as a Semi-Finalist in both the Center for Contemporary Opera Vocal Competition (1998) and the Oratorio Society of New York Vocal Competition (1999) and twice has been a Finalist in the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition. As a recitalist, she has entertained audiences from Mississippi to Vienna, Austria, and Munich, Germany, where she was a guest student at the Munich Hochschule fuer Musik in 1990-91.

In the Washington DC area, Ms. Gori has been a featured soloist with many fine musical organizations including the Cathedral Choral Society, the New Dominion Chorale, the Washington Bach Consort, the Maryland Handel Festival and the Washington Women's Chorus. She made her Kennedy Center Concert Hall debut in 1999 with the Master Chorale of Washington in Alice Parker's Melodious Accord, and returned there in December 2004 as the mezzo soloist in the Kennedy Center's 2004 "Holiday Celebration" Messiah Sing-Along. In December 2007 she made her television debut from the Kennedy Center Opera House Stage as the second soprano soloist in Beethoven's Choral Fantasy with Peabody Conservatory Orchestra and the Choral Arts Society at the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors gala concert (broadcast December 26, 2007 on CBS).

Ms. Gori has performed world and American premieres of a number of musical works, including the song cycle, "Reflections: a trilogy for mezzo soprano and piano" by Marshall Ocker (1926-2004) in June 2005 , the choral work Hannah's Song by Katherine Dienes with the Washington Women's Chorus (June 2006), and composer Kim D. Sherman's operatic setting of Ibsen's Love's Comedy, in which she created the role of Miss Skjaere in a world premiere concert reading with the George Mason University Center for the Arts (June 2008).

Ms. Gori's performances in recent seasons have included the Second Madrigale in Puccini's Manon Lescaut with the Washington National Opera, the 2nd Noble Orphan in a Gala Concert performance of Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier with the National Symphony Orchestra, Zita in the In Series production of Johnny Schicchi, Miss Todd in Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief with Odyssey Opera Theater, and a variety of recital and concert performances, including two performances in Italy at the InterHarmony International Music Festival.

For more information or to receive e-mail updates about upcoming performances, please contact Ms. Gori at grace.gori@verizon.net.